Delegates to Tackle Challenging Issues at Upcoming Conference

Delegates will address several challenging topics relating to cultural policy, globalization, and advances in new technologies at the CCA's 2006 National Policy Conference March 3 and 4. The conference provides a unique opportunity to map out what currently exists in terms of policy, what more is needed, and how to ensure policy-making keeps pace with changes in technology.

Four concurrent workshops – two focusing on artist/creator issues, and two on producer/cultural industry issues – will take place on Friday, March 3. In preparation for the conference, the CCA has produced background papers to provoke debate and innovative thinking about public policy. In addition to the basic questions, delegates will be challenged to think creatively on several broad-ranging issues such as:

• What opportunities and challenges do new technologies and globalization present to the cultural sector?
• Are established roles and definitions (artist/performer/producer/distributor) disappearing as individuals cross traditional barriers to create and disseminate their works?
• Are Canada's artists (self-employed, highly educated, multi-skilled, creative) at the vanguard of the new knowledge-based economy? Are they, in fact, pioneers of adaptive processes through legislation such as copyright and status of the artist, and advocacy for access to social benefits for the self-employed and fairer taxation treatment?

Debate is sure to be lively and we encourage everyone to make their voice heard. Conference delegates will be sent the background documents in advance of the conference; synopses are available at www.ccarts.ca/en/events/synopsis.htm.

The workshops will be led by four bilingual expert cultural managers: Susan Annis (Executive Director, Cultural Human Resources Council, Ottawa); Anne-Marie Des Roches (Director of Public Affairs, Union des artistes, Montréal); Kelly Hill (President, Hill Strategies Research, Hamilton); and Megan Williams (arts consultant, Halifax).

The mix of delegates representing a wide variety of artistic disciplines, agencies, cultural institutions and industries will undoubtedly make for dynamic discussion, effective networking and strong outcomes to put forward to our new federal government.

The Chalmers Conference is sold out. There are just 20 spaces left for the National Policy Conference. Register today!

CCA conference provides opportunity to influence new government’s cultural priorities

Representatives of Canada’s arts and cultural sector from all disciplines and regions of Canada will gather in Ottawa March 2 to 4, 2006 to discuss key sectoral priorities and establish strategies to influence the cultural policy of the new Government of Canada.

“Mapping Canada’s Cultural Policy: Where do we go from here?” will provide a three-day forum for delegates from across Canada to collectively identify policy issues that must be on the government’s agenda in order to build a thriving Canadian cultural sector. The conference, which will attract arts service organizations, cultural organizations and industries, individual artists, producers, labour groups and government bureaucrats, is presented by the Canadian Conference of the Arts, Canada’s leading voice on cultural policy.

The conference is particularly timely given the recent election of the Conservative government and the uncertainty about exactly where the party stands on issues such as the planned increase to the budget of the Canada Council for the Arts, status of the artist, cultural diversity and foreign ownership.

“This is precisely the time when it is imperative to assess the national policy framework of the cultural sector at large,” said Alain Pineau, the CCA’s recently appointed National Director. “It is important that the sector work closely with the new government to help refocus and frame 21 st-century Canadian cultural policies to face current technological and international trade challenges and opportunities.”

Conference delegates will address key questions such as:

• Could it be that Canada already has a cultural policy without knowing it?
• What will be the cultural environment of tomorrow?
• Do existing policies equip Canada for the future?
• Where do we go from here?

The 2006 conference is a blending of two conferences presented annually by the CCA. The Chalmers Conference, which is designed and intended specifically for representatives of arts service and cultural organizations will begin on March 2 with a discussion of key issues identified by ASO’s prior to the conference. This will pave the way for the National Policy Conference (NPC) on March 3 and 4 with delegates from every part of the sector exploring those and other issues facing the sector. Chalmers Conference delegates re-convene immediately following the final NPC session to discuss strategies for action to ensure the sector’s priorities are heard by the new federal government.

A focal point of the conference will be two concurrent workshops, one examining specific issues relating to artists and creators, and the other exploring issues relevant to producers and cultural industries.

Musician, writer, and hi-tech wizard Paul Hoffert will bring his lively presentation style and incisive thinking to the role of conference keynote speaker. Hoffert will kick off the National Policy Conference with a provocative presentation examining new approaches to production and dissemination of culture and the arts which will provide a backdrop to the delegates’ discussions. The Financial Post has described Hoffert as one of the “New Mandarins” along with Bill Gates, and the Toronto Star says “Paul Hoffert is the ideal visionary for the Digital Age”. Hoffert is currently on Harvard’s Faculty of Law and working on digital media exchange.

To ensure the conference format is not just talking heads, the CCA is injecting some contemporary artistic elements into the conference proceedings. These include:

Graphic Facilitation – David Hasbury, a noted consultant in organizational and community development, will facilitate the conference. Hasbury utilizes “group graphics” to capture the words and moods of the discussions in a visual way. Hasbury draws the themes and outcomes of group discussions on a vast wall chart, enabling participants to literally see what they are saying.

Rapportage – Greg Frankson, aka Ritallin, has exploded on the Canadian scene as a spoken word artist, writer and motivational speaker. He has just completed work on Alexa McDonough’s successful re-election campaign and is emerging as a leader within Canada’s artistic and Black communities. “Ritallin” will perform improvised poems at various points throughout the National Policy Conference that will reflect his interpretations of the discussions.

Interactive Dance – Independent dance artist Maureen Shea will lead an interactive dance component during the President’s Reception on March 3. Shea instigated the Grasshoppa Dance Exchange in 2002, and has led and participated in countless Hops and Dance Farms in Ottawa, Toronto, Montreal, Massachusetts and Italy. A performer and arts educator, Shea will enliven the reception with impromptu performances reflecting the mood of the day’s proceedings and engaging participants in unexpected ways.

For more information on the 2006 Chalmers and National Policy Conferences and to view complete agendas, please visit www.ccarts.ca.

Opportunities are available now for interviews with the CCA National Director and conference speakers.

For more information, contact:
Jessica Pancoe
Communications and Member Relations
Canadian Conference of the Arts
(613) 238-3561, ext. 10
Jessica.pancoe@ccarts.ca

Agenda Reflects Timeliness of CCA Conference

Register today! Be an early-bird and save $100 on conference fees by registering before February 10!

The complete agenda for the CCA’s upcoming conference Mapping Canada’s Cultural Policy: Where do we go from here? is now available on our website.

The CCA’s two day national policy conference brings together the key players and stakeholders in cultural policy in Canada -- individual artists, cultural organizations and industries, labour groups and government bureaucrats.

Conference delegates will tackle key questions such as:

• Could it be that Canada already has a national cultural policy without knowing it?
• What will the cultural environment of tomorrow be?
• Do existing policies equip Canada for the future?
• Where do we go from here?

Among the agenda highlights are two concurrent workshops that will examine specific issues relating to artists/creators’ issues and those relevant to producers/cultural industries. Discussions will focus around three CCA documents that will be sent to delegates in advance of the conference: an overview of Canada’s cultural policy, and two papers relating to specific issues facing each group.

Keynote speaker Paul Hoffert will kick off the conference with a provocative presentation on new approaches to production and dissemination of culture and the arts which will provide a backdrop to the delegates’ discussions. The conference will also have a dynamic edge through “graphic facilitation” provided by facilitator David Hasbury – a process of reflecting back conference discussions through words and images, plus on-the-spot “rapportage” by spoken word artist Greg Frankson summarizing each session in his own way.

This conference is crucial to the sector’s advocacy process as it will lead to the CCA’s Strategic Action Plan for the coming 18 months or so. Make your voice heard – be part of the discussion. Ensure your priorities inform advocacy with our new government!

“Managing Change”, the Catchphrase for the 21st Century?

Musician, writer and hi-tech wizard Paul Hoffert will kick off CCA’s March 2006 National Policy Conference, Mapping Canada’s Cultural Policy: Where Do We Go From Here?, with a provocative breakfast presentation that will scramble your eggs!

In an interview with National Director, Alain Pineau, Hoffert outlined a number of fundamental trends which he sees challenging the cultural sector. Here are some highlights from this interview:

"Globalization is a threat to local culture but it has passed its zenith and is on the decline everywhere except in infrastructure industries, such as banking and communications... The other important change is what I call the 'Bagel Effect', which means disintermediation. Disintermediation is getting rid of the middles (the hole in the bagel)... The Bagel Effect in the cultural industries is very formidable...The organizations in the middle — the heart of Canada’s cultural industries — are having an increasingly difficult time staying in business, and must rely on government in order to survive... The current Canadian support system for the cultural sector, designed in the 20th century, does not fit the 21st century model... The impossibility of regulating the Internet is a myth, patently debunked by the current Chinese government (and others)... Doubling the Canada Council budget is a good idea, but dictating how the money should be spent is a bad idea."

Read the complete - and thought-provoking - interview with Paul Hoffert in the next issue of Blizzart, landing on your desk in early February. His presentation on how new technologies are affecting and will continue to affect the cultural sector for the next 10 years takes place on Friday March 3, starting at 9:00am.

Taking place within weeks of the election of a new federal government, the CCA Conference will be a most opportune event to help shape the cultural policy agenda of the new Parliament. The objectives of the National Policy Conference (March 3 and 4 at the Sheraton Hotel Ottawa) are:

• To provide a forum for examination, discussion, and consensus building in the cultural sector on specific issues of concern and interest;
• To review specific policy components currently forming a loose knit federal cultural policy, to identify what is missing, what still needs to be done, and how existing policy can be strengthened (if necessary);
• To provide recommendations for consideration by CCA’s Board, to inform the organization’s agenda and action plans for the year(s) to come;
• In the post-election period, to ensure cultural issues are on the parliamentary agenda;
• Given the post-election climate, and the effects of globalization and new technologies, how best to manage the coming changes;
• To develop strategies to ensure the government (through the Department of Canadian Heritage) is aware of the issues of importance to the sector;
• To act as a first step in a two step consultative process, the culmination being the 2007 national policy conference in Montréal where we will plan our next cycle.

Discussion papers will be available for delegates in advance, ensuring an informed and proactive participation.

An up-dated agenda for the conference will be on the website shortly. Register today to ensure your place at the conference; forms are available at www.ccarts.ca. Take advantage of the Early Bird discount before the cut-off date of February 10!

NB: Organizations also wishing to participate in the Chalmers Conference which bookends the policy conference (Thursday afternoon, March 2, and again following the completion of the policy conference on Saturday afternoon), should complete both sections of the registration form. If you have any questions, please contact paul.galipeau@ccarts.ca.